ENGLISH VERSIONI think I should start by telling you that a few years ago I wouldn’t even dare to think about one of the fourteen summits above 8000 meters, both due to the huge price and to the lack of experience. The time passed by and slowly the world’s giants became more approachable. The recent victories of the Romanian mountaineers in the Himalaya gave us trust that an 8000 meters summit might be possible to climb.

What was initially planned as a trip in India and later as an expedition in the Indian Himalaya became a more ambitious project, named „Vise fara limite” –„Dreams without limits”. Its targets were the climb of Shishapangma, 8012m, to traverse India and Nepal by bus, to establish new connections among people and, not least, to organize a photographic exhibition once we would be back home.
The main target was, of course, the ascent – in this purpose we have trained since autumn. My collaboration for more than two years with the „Pentru Voi” foundation – an organization dealing with persons with intellectual disabilities – gave me the idea of a social message, by taking as high as possible a flag with the signatures of the disabled ones, the endorsing of a social message being a Romanian premiere concerning our Himalayan ascents.

The three of us to climb were Catalin MORARIU, 30, dentist, Dragos Dubina, 28, psychologist and myself, Cristian Tzecu, 35, photographer. Together we have done previous climbs in high mountains, so our team was very confident that we’ll get to the summit.

We left Romania in the middle of March heading towards Katmandu, Nepal. Up there we have spent a few days in an acclimatization trekking tour in the Langtang region, climbing up to 4000 meters. It was the first encounter with the Buddhists and their way of living, so financially poor, but also enlighten by their believes.
After the return to Katmandu we have dedicated a whole week to the final preparations, from the acquisition of the missing equipment parts to the high altitude food. On the 2nd of April we set forth to Tibet, now just a humble part of China. A few days in Nyalam at 3800 and we are on the road again – with a Land Cruiser – towards the Base Camp, at 5000m. From here we have used the yaks -15 at all, each carrying 40 kg of equipment or food – to get to the Advanced Base Camp (ABC), 5600m, where we were supposed to spend a whole month in order to get a good acclimatization and to reach the summit. The acclimatization supposes the accommodation of the body with the thin air (poor in oxygen) and the low pressure, by increasing the number of the blood’s red cells, which can be achieved in a few weeks. This is the only way to reach an above 8000 m summit without oxygen.

One by one we have carried the equipment to the upper camps, Camp 1 at 6300m and Camp 2 at 7000, with many ascents and descents back in the ABC for rest. The cook and his helper did their best to ensure a good food; furthermore, on the 13th of April we have celebrated the Nepalese New Year, the first day of 2062. Comparing with the previous years, the spring of 2005 has been extremely whimsical; the main impediment was the strong winds. From the first day the blizzard destroyed two of our tents in the ABC, thus we had to make a single one from two broken tents and to lend one of our tents to the cook and his helper.
The optimistic weather forecast made us set the first summit attempt for the 3rd of May. Thus we have decided to join an Austrian team which was using Sherpas to put fixed ropes on the route. The Sherpas are strong men, all belonging to the Sherpa tribe from the north of Nepal. Their contribution to the conquest of the Himalayan giants is huge. Hiring one for an 8000 summit costs about 3000$.

In the early morning of the 3rd of May, at 2.30 – local hour – I have left for the summit with Dragos, from Camp 2, 7000m. Catalin has been stopped there in his attempt by some breathing problems which later turned out to be pneumonia, which might have been very dangerous. The first hours were the most difficult; the bitter cold almost stiffed my feet. At the first sunrays, almost frozen, Dragos decided to return and to try the next day. This is how I remained the only Romanian to go for the summit, having in front the Austrians and two Sherpas. But my feet became warmer and so I felt more confident. Due to the altitude, the average speed of the ascent could not go beyond 100 meters in altitude per hour. Fortunately the weather was excellent and I felt very lucky having this chance. The route was more difficult than I have expected, rocky parts equipped with fixed ropes –thus very steep- alternating with icy slopes. At 17:15, four hours before dusk, I managed to reach Shishapangma Central Summit, 8012m. Being alone up there, on a peak like a sharp blade, without any place for the classical summit photo, I took the picture of the signature flag by holding it in the left hand and the camera in the right hand. Trying to get them still in a fraction when the wind wasn’t blowing so strong, I have only partially succeeded.
Although one of my hidden dreams was that once on the top to call my girlfriend from the Thuraya satellite phone, I was too stressed not to get caught by the night to come. That’s why I decided that it would be much wiser to descend as quickly as possible. It took me five hours among snow, ice and rocks, endless rappels until I finally reached the tent situated 1000 meters below the summit. On that night I have slept only a little, in the morning it became very cold and the zipper from my sleeping bag was damaged.
The next day’s bad weather banished all of us to the ABC, the best place to rest. Dragos was very firmly in his decision to try again to reach the summit. He spent more than one week above 6300m waiting for a day without strong winds. Unfortunately, the day forecasted as suitable for climbing was not so lucky; he had to return from 7650m because the winds started again ruthlessly. He was much too close to the summit for not deserving it all over.

From our return to Nepal until the middle of June we have done an incredible trip in India, the land of the amazing contrasts, facing out the 45 degrees heat. In Delhi we have met an organization for disabled, thus making new connections among people. We have returned with a lot of pictures and now we are planning an interesting photo exhibition.
Behind us remained a summit which from now on will be associated also with the name of my country, Romania. In our souls there are new places, lots of friends and above all, memories which would deserve to be told little by little.
Cristian TZECU , Timisoara, the 21th of june 2005